“Everybody wants to get on in life and improve their career prospects, but the reality is that promotions are not easy to come by,” says serial entrepreneur James Caan in his recent LinkedIn post.

Here are three ways to get promoted quickly:

Be a problem solver. Professionals often fail to look at where they can add value, Caan explains. “Analyze your department and the overall business. Where are the inefficiencies or problems which you think you can solve?” By identifying these weak or problematic areas, you will know where to focus your efforts. “Every manager is impressed by self-starters, and somebody who takes the initiative in areas where the business may be weak is putting themselves high up the list for a promotion.”

Prove your commitment. If you’re going to be ambitious, you need to back up your claims. “As a chief executive I would never consider promoting anyone who is not prepared to put in the hard yards for the business,” Caan says. Keep in mind that being employed by a company for several years does not mean that you should automatically be promoted. Instead, it’s your performance levels and commitment that move you up the ladder, he says.

Move on. Carry out regular health checks on your career and constantly assess where you are and the available opportunities for advancement. “If you are at a stage where you have been with the same company for a while and are seeing no progress, then the best way to move up the ladder is to find a new company,” Caan says. Leaving your job might not be an option — or might be a tough thing to do. “But allowing yourself to get stale is never a good option.”